It should have been an easy decision for the youngster from Evangelical Christian High School in Germantown,Tennessee to go to the University of Alabama and play football.
After all, playing for the Crimson Tide is a family thing. His father Rex lettered in basketball for the Crimson Tide from 1982-84, and older brother, Barrett, was already a star inTuscaloosa.
Barrett Jones just finished a star-studded career that saw him win three national championships and All-America honors at three different positions on the offensive line. Barrett was the unquestioned leader of the Alabama offensive line, which was the best in the nation last season.
But his Barrett is gone now and it’s time for Harrison Jones to follow in his family’s footsteps and make a name for himself.
Last season was also the final year for another Alabama player who didn’t have quite the acclaim as Barrett Jones but who was an unsung hero for the Crimson Tide — tight end Michael Williams, who caught 24 passes for 183 yards and tied for second on the team with four touchdown receptions.
Those are the shoes that Harrison Jones will be trying to fill this fall, not his older brother’s but those of Alabama’s clutch tight end. The question is he is up to the task?
After Alabama’s sixth spring practice on Wednesday, Harrison spoke like a veteran who is looking forward to the challenge.
“It was a good day of practice,” he said. “It was good to get back on the field and get in the swing of things — just start getting that rhythm on the field again.”
Jones joins O.J. Howard, Corey McCarron, Michael Nysewander, Brian Vogler and Kieran Williams battling for the tight end spot vacated by Michael Williams and the H-back position that Kelly Johnson manned in 2012.
“Michael (Williams) played a huge role in our offense last season, that’s no secret,” Jones said.
Harrison Jones doesn’t have a lot of statistics to show for his first two years at the Capstone. He is 6-foot-4, 241 pounds and has played in 18 games. Jones has one collegiate catch — a 5-yard reception against Vanderbilt in 2011.
That comes off an outstanding prep career at Evangelical Christian High School. He was rated as the No. 9 tight end in the nation by ESPNU after a senior season in which he caught 16 passes for 272 yards and scored seven touchdowns. The Tennessee Sports Writers Association named him All-Region and All-State. He played in the Liberty Bowl All-Star Game.
“Our identity has changed with new players and a new team, and new people are going to have to step up and make plays. That is something that you deal with at almost every position, every year. That is just part of the game, especially in college.
“It something we are taking on as a tight end unit, to fill that spot and make the plays that he made,” said Jones trying to take up the slack left by Michael Williams.
Jones and the rest of the tight end candidates will have a chance to make their case on Saturday when Alabama holds its first full-scale scrimmage of the spring in Bryant-Denny Stadium.